Sole cementing press



W. LORENZ SOLE CEMENTING PRESS Sept. 30, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 1955 Sept. 30, 1958 W.'LORENZ 2,353,725

SOLE CEMENTING PRESS Filed June 14, 1955 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 B Mam W. LORENZ SOLE CEMENTING PRESS Sept. 30, 1958 6 Sheefs-Sheet 3 Filed June 14, 1955 Sept. 30, 1958 w LORENZ 2,853,726

SOLE CEMENTINGJ PRESS Filed June 14, 1955 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 War Nw Lwwz Sept. 30, 1958 w. LORENZ sous CEMENTING PRESS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 14, 1955 INV-Q/JTOV'. v ew-N v L W Sept. 30, 1958 w, LORENZ I 2,853,726

SOLE CEMENTING PRESS Filed June 14, 1955 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 \N LW- United States Patent 6 ice The "present invention relates toshoe-makin'g machines,

and more particularly to new improvements in sole-- cementing presses and the pressure pads therefor.

When the first shoes with cemented soles were made, the soles were applied to the shoes by means of a pressurepad which consisted of a trough filled with rice over which a cloth was tightened. Later, river sand, soft printing-roller composition, or lubricating oil mixed with granulated cork were also used as a filler of the pressure pad. Pressure pads or press molds were also made of substantially pre-forr'n'ed supports of cork or hard rubber. Even cast iron molds with inserts of tissue'paper-or the like wrapped with cable wire have been used for this purpose.

Soon, however, -it was recognized that pressure pads or pressure molds of this type were inadequate 'for obtaining a proper cementing of the sole onto the shoe, and "so the idea was conceived to supply the space Within the customary cloth-covered pressure trough with water or air, or to place a sealed rubber bag into such-space and. Pressure pads to supply such bag with water or air.

were also known with two rubber bags wherein one bag Wasfilled with air and .the other with water. However, all these pressure pads had thedisa'dvantage that they expanded only very little in a vertical direction. Therefore, in order to accommodate :shoes of dnferent upward curvature :of the soles, it became necessary to provide separate pressure pads for -each diiferent curvature.

:All these disadvantages were e'xpe'cted ''to be eliminated by pressure pads whichconsistedof a rubber bag which was closedon all sides. To give these bags the necessary strength, they were usually provided with elastic and non-elastic inserts, the non-elastic in'se'rts being fixed to theb'ottom and theside walls of the pad, while the elastic inserts-were provided on theupp'e'r cover so that the latter Would cling closely to theshoe bottom. Since these pressure ipads formed separateba'gs, 'thewallshad to be r'nade rather solid so as to give them sufficient strength. Although :thei'r ability tosexpand in the upward'direction was slightly greater than that of the former troughlike pressure pads, it'was still inadequate. Also, it was still necessary to make diiferent pressure pads :for the many different upward curvatures or arches of the shoe bo'ttoms.

Pressure pads'wer'ethen also made which consisted of an upper cover and al'owencoverwhich were 'sew'ed togeth'erto form a closed bag in which an inflatable rubber bag was inserted. Although such "pressure pads permitted to some-extent the pressing of shoes with different upward curvatures or arches, it con-1d -notbe avoided that the-'front part'of the shoes became arched.

Another known device "combined the 'trou'ghlike 'pressure pad as previously I mentioned -with-se arate pressure bags by making the -fron't' part' or-the pressure pad aecording to the 'first type and therear'part according to these'cond. Although 'sucha pressure ad was more closely "approaching the aim-or making the front parts v I 2,853,726 Patented Sept. 30, 1958 of the shoe bottom fiat and the joint and heel parts round, it still had a series of important disadvantages.

As a supporting base for the pressure pad, it has also been known to use a rigid, preformed bed. However, since such pressure pads were intended to be used for cementing shoes of different upward curvature, the shape of the pressure pad support had to correspond to a shoe bottom with the least upward curvature of the shoes intended to be cemented. If the curvature of the pressure pad was greater than that of the shoes, the shoe when being pressed only rested with the heel and the toe portions on the pad, while in the middle it was substantially free of the pad. If the front part of such apressure pad was rigidly secured, even its charge of air pressure was not able to fill out this hollow space. If shoes were to be cemented so as 'to have an upward curvature higher than that of the pad support, it depended entirely upon the ability of the pressure pad to expand whether or not it would adaptitse'lf properly to the shoe. It is quite evident that "such ability of the pressure pad to expand has, however, its limitations and that the strain upon the rubber ,bag by the high pressure therein might easily become excessive.

If shoes with higher curvatures-are placed upon a pressure pad support .with a lower curvature, also a danger of accidental injury 'to theoperator will arise. If a higher curved shoe is placed upon a lower curved pressure pad, the shoe only rests either with its front part or its rear part on the pressure pad, and thus either in front or in the rear a wedge-shaped recess will be formed. Since the operator has to hold the shoe tightly on the pad until the pressure bracket has been locked, it may easily happen that his hands reach into the jjm'entioned space and are injured.

For obtaining a close fit ofthe sole upon the shoe upper of the shoe 'it is necessary when placing the shoe upon the pressure pad to rest its front part accurately upon the rigid front edge of the pressure pad. The mentioned wedge-shaped space must be within the area of the rear part of the shoe. In order to insure, however, that theshoc vwhen thus inserted will al'soremain in such position when the pressure strap is being closed, it is necessary to adjust the toe and heel pressure members accurately to the respective shoes. This, however, is not always possible in actualpractice or at least it re quires considerable 'timeand effort as the shoes to be made are too often of different shapes.

Pressure pad supporting bases have also previously been made of front and rearpartswhich were connected by an articulated joint, as it was recognized that, even though used in connection with pressure pads which were "supplied with air or water, the pressure pad support had to have a certain basic shape corresponding to a the upward curvature of the shoe.

Cement-lug presses have also been designed in which the rear part 'of the pressing device automatically adapts itself to the respective upward curvature or arch of the shoe. However, these designs did not eliminate the-danger of accidental injuries as previously mentioned. Also, theoperatorcould possibly still fit'the front part of the shoe irnproperly.uponthe front-part of the pressure pad. Furthermorefsuch construction is rather complicated as well as expensive.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide ,a cementing press which .eliminatesall of the disadvantages of the presses previously known and as described above.

Another object of thepresent invention is to provide apressure pad which is :easily adjustedso as to adapt itself to any ,kind of upward curvature of the shoe bottom.

A further object of the present invention is to provide quick-action means for manually adjusting the pressure pad to any upward curvature desired.

Another object of. the present invention is to provide a pressure pad consisting of an inflatable rubber bag which is fully enclosed by an outer covering, the front part of which is made substantially flat to correspond to the most desirable shape of the front part of the shoe bottom and shoe sole.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means for binding and reinforcing atleast the front part of such outer covering of the pressure pad, such means preferably consisting of horseshoelike frame members which are clamped upon the marginal portions of the outer covering and are secured to each other.

Still another object of the present invention is to secure the marginal portions of the rear part of the covering to each other by resilient or flexible means, for ex ample, by cementing, vulcanizing, tieing, or by an articulated screw connection or the like.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof, as well as from the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section through the pressure pad and the base thereof, such section being taken along line II of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 shows a top view of the pressure pad;

'Fig. 3 shows a cross section through the pressure pad taken along line IIIIII of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 shows a side view of the pressure pad and its supporting base;

Fig. 5 shows a detail top view, partly in section, of the adjusting device when the rear part of the pressure pad is tilted away;

Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of the adjustable base of the pressure pad;

Fig. 7 shows an exploded perspective view of the various parts of a pressure pad for fiat shoes;

Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of the pressure pad shown in Fig. 7 but in assembled condition and mounted on its base;

Fig. 9 shows a section taken along line IX--IX of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 shows a section taken along line XX of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 shows a perspective view partly in section,of a pressure pad for flat shoes; while Fig. 12 shows a perspective view, partly in section, of a pressure pad for shoes with an upward curvature.

Referring to the drawings, the cover 1 of the pressure pad consists of a bag 5 which is produced by a special vulcanizing process. The fully closed part of the bag 5 reaches to the point 2 where it extends into two loose strips or flaps 3 and 4, the marginal portions of which are clamped between an upper horseshoe-like frame member 9 and a similar lower frame member 10 with an intermediate metallic frame 6 inserted between the flaps 3 and 4. The pressure pad may, however, also be formed as shown in Figs. 7 to 10 of an upper plate 7 and a lower plate 8 which are connected at the rear part depending upon the type of upward curvature of the shoes either by resilient means, such as by tieing, by articulated bolting, cementing, or the like, or by the same means which connect the front parts with each other. The upper and lower frame members 9 and 10 are likewise made of metal andprovided with adequate reinforcements of such a strength as to prevent them from being bent even under a very high pressure, such as, for example, 8 atm. For this purpose, the lower frame It is also designed so as to project considerably beyond the pressure pad base 11, as shown particularly in Fig. 3. The upper layer 3 of the pressure pad is preferably made stronger and more rigid than the lower insertion of one "or more reinforcements, for example,

of fabric.

Each of the frame members 6, 9, and 10 is made of one solid piece of material and preferably of horseshoelike shape. The frame members 6, 9, and 10, and thus also the marginal portions of the cover 3 and 4 are secured together by bolts 12. To prevent the cover layers 3 and 4 when placed under pressure from pulling out of the screw holes, frame members 6, 9, and 10 are also provided with interengaging tongues and grooves. Thus, as shown in Fig. 3, the intermediate frame member 6 has on each side thereof a continuous convex projection or tongue 13, while the inner sides of the upper and lower frame members 9 and 10 facing the intermediate frame member 6 are each provided with a continuous concave groove 14. Obviously, the relative position of these tongues and grooves on the frame members may also be reversed.

The pressure pad which thus forms a separate bag which is completely closed on all sides lies loosely along its entire lower surface on its basev so that both the rear and central parts, as well as the front part of the pressure bag are flexible in an upward direction, although such flexibility of the front part is less than that of the rear part. The purpose of such flexibility of the front part in an upward direction is to allow this area of the pressure pad to adjust itself automatically to the front part of the respective shoe bottom even though the shoe has not been accurately placed thereon and/or the pressure strap or yoke has not been adjusted correctly. Since the lower cover 4 of the pressure pad has a thinner wall and is thus more flexible than the upper cover 3, the largest portion of the upward flexibility within the front part of the pressure pad is taken up by the lower cover 4, while the'upper cover 3 of the pressure pad remains nearly flat. Consequently, the front part of the shoes to be pressed will retain its flat shape as desired.

The spring 16 which is mounted on the valve socket 15 serves to protect the pressure pad, allowing it to yield in an upward direction as well'as slightly in its longitudinal direction. In order to prevent the pressure pad from being materially displaced when the upward curvature or arch of the rear part is being adjusted or when the pressure pad is being inflated, it may be held in place on the lower frame 10 by an angular projection 17 which extends from or is secured to the base 11 of the pressure pad. This angular projection 17 has been shownin Fig. l, but has been omitted in Fig. 4. Since the pressure pad has a certain degree of rigidity or stifiness, the rear part of the pressure pad when elevated would only rest in front and in the'rear on the base 18, while its central part would be free from the base. In order to avoid this, the rear ends of the lower frame member 10 of the pressure pad are provided with springs 19, as shown in Figs. 3,4, and 6, the lower ends of which are secured to a crossbar 20 of the lower base portion 21. This arrangement assures that the pressure pad will rest on its base along its entire lower surface regardless of the position to which the base might be adjusted. The base of the pressure pad consists of a front part 11 and a rear part 18 which are connected by an articulated joint. The front part 11 and the lower base portion 21 are preferably made of a single piece of material or rigidly connected with each other while the rear part 18 is pivotably mounted on the lower base portion 21 by meansof pivot pins 22.

In the known machines of this type, the bases or supporting-members of the pressure pads are adjusted either manually, for example, by a self-locking bolt or automatically by means of a control gear. Both adjusting systems are, however, unsatisfactory, the first requiring too much time and being too complicated in operation, while the other is too complicated and expensive in its production.

massing ta the presets in 2 iii er the piesssre gi designed raise a kly aiid withesteem by raeaas of asiiigle handle so as to co form to any possible upward curvature of the sheean'd this device permits an adjustabilitypermitting the cementing of shoes of various upward burvatui's up to a height of the heels of about 4% inches. I v

For this purpose, the lower base portion 21 is provided with a bracket 23 in Which a sleev e 24 is rotatably mounted. Sleeve 24 has coarse in'ternal-threads for re ceiving and guiding a spindle 25. A handle ;26 is secured to the sleeve 24 by means of a bracket 24' which also has a bore for carrying a pivot pin 27 which has a pawl 28 mounted thereon. Pawl; 28 forms a twoarmed lever, one end of which as shown in Fig. 5, is acted upon by a spring 22 which is mounted within a suitable recess in the handle 26 so as to hold the other toothed end of pawl 28 in engagement with a ratchet 30 which is rigidly secured to the bracket 23. The coarse-threaded spindle 25 has ahead 31 which engages into a groovelike recess in a member 32 which is secured to the "rear part 18 of the pad supporiiiig base. Thus, the head 31 is slidable in a longitudinal direction of the member 32 when the spindle 25 is adjusted upwardly or downwardly.

When the handle 26 is turned in the direction of the arrow 33 shown in Fig. 5, sleeve 24 is turned in the same direction, and the rear end 18 of the base of the pressure pad will be raised. For lowering the rear end 18 of the base, the spring-supported end of pawl 28 is depressed so as to disengage the pawl from the ratchet 30, whereupon the handle 26 is turned in the direction of the arrow 34. The threads on the spindle 25 are preferably made of such a coarse pitch that its entire stroke can be carried out by a single turn of the sleeve 24 and the handle 26 about an angle of less than 360.

The joint between the front and rear parts 11 and 18 of the pressure pad base may be designed so that the adjacent upper edges of these parts interengage with each other regardless of the angular position of the rear part 18 relative to the front part 11, thus avoiding any crevice between these parts on which the relatively thin lower cover 4 would lie unsupported. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1, however, a more simple construction has been shown, the gap 35 between the adjacent edges of the parts 11 and 18 obviously having its greatest width when the'rear part 18 is lowered to its lowest position. In order to protect the relatively thin lower cover from the action of the spaced upper edges of the adjacent parts 11 and 18 and to bridge the gap 35 between these edges, a protective layer 36 of flexible but very resistant material, such as a piece of tough leather, is preferably secured on the front part 11.

If shoes with very flat bottoms, such as mens shoes, are to be cemented, it may be advisable to replace the pressure pad previously described by one as shown in Figs. '7 to 11 having a rubber bag which is placed between an upper cover 7 and a lower cover 8 of resilient material. The front part of the upper and lower covers 7 and 8 is connected similarly as in the embodiment previously described by an upper frame member 9', a lower frame member and an intermediate frame member 6', which are preferably secured to each other by bolts. Contrary to the first embodiment showing a pressure pad for upwardly curved shoes, however, the rear part of the pressure pad is likewise reinforced by an upper frame member 9", a lower frame member 10", and an intermediate frame member 6". In order to permit a certain, although only slight adjustability between the front and rear parts of the pressure pad according to this modification, members 38 which are each enclosed within a frame element 37 are loosely interposed between the horseshoelike members 9', 9'.', and 10, 10 respectively. These members 37, 38 rest upon the marginal portions of the upper and newer covers 7 and s and are spaced apart by intermedia e member's 3-9 of "resilient or flexible ffiiatrial wliieh lie at the level Of the intermediate frame members 6' and "6". Bolts 40 secure the various elements together, the intermediate resilient orflexibl'e mem bers 39 then allowing a certainflexibility 'of the front and rear parts of the pressure pad relative to each other;

Although, fOi' "the purpose Of facilitating the illustration, the embodiment of the invention shown in 8 to 10 illustrates the base of the pressure pad a's cc'm's'istir'ig of only one part, it may also consist of two interconnected parts similarly as shown in Figs, 1 to 6. However, "if the ressure pad is intended to be adjustable only within narrow lii'n'its, a one pie'ce base may s'ufli'ce.

Alt-hbu'gh iffy invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, I wish to have it understood th'at'it is in no way limited to "the details of such embodiments or to the specific examples ldesiiri-bed, but is capable of numerous modifications -within the sco e of the appended claiins.

Having "thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim is: I

1. A sole cementing press for shoes having different upward sole curvatures, comprising a pressure pad, and a base for supporting said pressure pad, said pressure pad comprising an inflatable bag and a cover fully enclosing said bag, said cover comprising an upper and a lower resilient layer, said lower layer resting on said base and being more resilient than said upper layer, a plurality of rigid horseshoelike frame members respectively arranged in substantially parallel planes on opposite sides of said upper and lower layers, at least on and around the front part of said cover and reinforcing the same along its edges so that the highest surface. of said frame members is located higher than the top surface of said upper layer, and said upper layer being fixed in stretched condition to said frame members to remain substantially flat during the pressing process, and means for securing said frame members to each other, said entire cover resting loosely on said base with its lower side only, and at least the front part of said cover projecting beyond the surface of said base.

2. A sole cementing press as defined in claim 1, wherein said base comprises a stationary front part and a rear part 'pivotally connected thereto, and means for pivoting said rear part relative to said front part and wherein said pivoting means comprise quick-action means-adapted to act upon said rear part of said base, and means for manually adjusting said quick-action means.

3. A sole cementing press as defined in claim 2, wherein said stationary front part of said base has a rearward extension projecting below said rear part of said base, and wherein said quick-action means comprise a sleeve having at least one coarse-pitched internal thread and being rotatably mounted within said extension below said rear part of said base, a non-rotatable spindle within said sleeve and engaging therewith, the rear part of said base having a groovelike recess in its lower surface, said spindle having a head portion engaging in said recess so as to be slidable therein in the longitudinal direction of said base, and a handle mounted on said threaded sleeve for rotating the same and for thereby raising or lowering said non-rotatable spindle to pivot said rear part of said base upwardly or downwardly.

4. A sole cementing press for shoes having different upward sole curvatures, comprising, in combination, a pressure pad; and a base for supporting said pressure pad, said pressure pad comprising an inflatable bag, a cover fully enclosing said bag, a valve inlet fixed to and communicating with said inflatable bag and passing through said cover and said base, means for resiliently mounting said valve inlet on said base so as to permit a resilient upward and downward movement of said inlet relative to said base, a plurality of rigid horseshoe-like frame members at least on and around the front part of said cover 7 and reinforcing the same around, its edges, and'means for securing said frame members to each other, said cover resting loosely with the lower side thereof on'said base and at least the front part of said cover projecting beyond the surface of said base.

7 5. A sole cementing press as defined in claim 4, wherein said resilient mounting means comprise a coil spring around said inlet, said coil spring pressing with one end against said base and with the other end against a portion of said inlet.

6. A sole cementing press for shoes having different upward sole curvatures comprising, in combination, a pressure pad; and a base supporting said pressure pad, said pressure pad comprising an inflatable bag and a cover fully enclosing, said bag, a plurality of rigid horseshoelike frame members at least on and around the front part of said cover and reinforcing the same along its edges, and said cover having also an unreinforced resilient rear part, spring means acting upon a portion of said frame members adjacent to said unreinforced rear part of said cover for drawing said portion into engagement with said base, and means for securing said frame mem- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,718,300 -'Micha1k- 2 'Iune 25, 1929 1,743,845 Christy et al.' Jan. 14, 1930 1,754,056 Shufliebargcr Apr. 8, 1930 1,966,108 Totz July 10, 1934 2,020,288 Bresnahan' Nov. 12, 1935 2,058,446 Haselier Oct. 27, 1936 2,061,690 Winkley NOV. 24, 1936 2,124,654 Finn July 26, 1938' 2,420,972 Perri May 20, 1947 2,423,878 Dawson IulyplS, 1947 2,430,214 Delsordo Nov. 4, 1947' FOREIGN PATENTS 824,321 Germany Q. Dec. 10, 1 951. 

